Aircraft



June 24, 1930 .Q v LAPIN 1,766,390

AIRCRAFT Y y Filed Dec. 5, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet l lJune; 24, 11930. l c. vfLAPlN 1,766,390

' INVENTOR. t har/e5 7L 0,0m

A TTORNE YS.'

C. V. LAPIN June 24, 1930.

AIRCRAFT Filed Deo. 5,. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet vINVENTOR. a l 6770/'65 VL 0,0m

B su?, ATTORNEYS.

.rune 24, 1930. C, V. AplN' 1,766,390

, AIRCRAFT Y Filed Dec. 5, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORAIS Patented' June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES A('IBLAR'LIES V. LAPIN, OF LOS ANGELES,.CAI|IFORNIA AIRCRAFT,

Application led December 3, 1928. Serial No. 323,343.

My invention relates to and has for a purpose the provision of a heavier-thamair craft having an arrangement of supporting surfaces or aerofoils and of iying control surs, faces, by which the usual form of tail assembly of a conventional airplane can be dispensed with, and yet the craft maneuvered and maintained on a desired course with the utmost easeand under perfect control of the operatr as well asrende'ring the craft inl herently stable and self supporting in the airtosuch extent as to eliminate the possibility of a tail spin or nose dive, and enabling the craft to function as a glider in the event that operation of the propelling means of the craft is discontinued, so that the craft can be readily maintained-under control.

It is a further purpose of my invention to provide an aircraft embodying means by 2.0 which the direction of thrust of the propelling means of the craft can be varied to such extent as to cause the craft toI be propelled in either a forward direction, a combined forward and upward direction, or a vertically upward direction so that relatively high forward speeds of the craft can be obtained yet Y the` craft rendered capable of hovering or cruising slowly over an area as well as taking oft` from or landing in a restricted space.

p I will describe only one form of aircraft l embodying my invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims. In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 isa view 'showing in plan, partly broken away, one form of aircraft embodylng'4` my invention;

ig. 2 is a view in side elevation, partly broken away, of the aircraft shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of the aircraft in front ele- 40 vation;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical-sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the'arrows;

5 is an Aenlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 vare diagrammatic perspective views, illustrating respectively, the controls for-the elevators, ailerons and rudders.

Fig; 9 is a diagrammatic plan view ofthe power plants and the mechanism for controlling them to `vary the direction of the thrust exerted b'y their propellers;

Fig. 10 is avertical sectional View taken on 'the line 10-10 of Fig. 9 and looking in 55 the direction of the arrows.

Referring specifically to the drawings in which similar reference characters designate similar ,parts in each of the several views, my invention in its present embodiment is illustrated as comprising a body B in the form of an enclosed cabin for housing the pilot, passengers, freight, etc.; and from the body B are supported aerofoils A and A', the aerofoils extending transversely of the body from opposite sides thereof and being disposed one in advance of the other in spaced relation. The positions of the aerofoils along the length of the body are such as to render the craft inherently stable in a fore and aft direction and permit the usual tail assembly of a conventional airplane to be dispensed with, the usual flying control surfaces such as the elevator, rudder, and ailerons being embodied in the aerofoils A and A and enabling the craft to be maneuvered and maintained on a desired course with the utmost ease and under perfect control of the pilot. Furthermore the provision of a plurality ofl aerofoils one in advance ofthe other permits the craft 8 to function as a gliderpin the event that operation of the propelling means of the craft be discontinued, and it will be understood that a greater number of aerofoils than lllustrated, could be used, depending in number on'the areaof supporting surface requlred for anaircraft of a given capacity.

The aerofoils A and A are provided with the flying control surfaces of the craft, and in the present instance the aerofoils are provided respectively with pairs of elevators E, E', and E2, E3 hingedly connected to the respective aerofoils along the rear longitudinal edges thereof as indicated at 10 and 10a, and extending from the sides of thelbody B to the tips of the aerofoils, all as clearly shown in Fig. 1. y

The aerofoils' A and A are further provided respectively with pairs of rudders R, R', and R2R3, preferably of the balanced 100 type and pivotally mounted immediately below the respective ailerons on vertical axes 11 and 11*L respectively, while the tips of the aerofoils are recessed from their leading edges rearwardly as indicated at 12 and 12' to receive ailerons, the pair of ailerons for the aerofoil A being designated as S and S and those of the aerofoilA being designated at S2 and S3. The pairs of ailerons are preferably of the balanced type and are pivotally mounted on their respective aerofoils on horizontal axes 13 and 13a respectively.

The pairs of elevators, rudders, and ailerons above described are adapted to be manual-y ly actuated to control the direction of travel of the craft, by an operator within/the body B, and to this end a controlbri'dge is provided and comprises a U'shapd frame 14 having a pair of verticalea'rms 15 and a horizontal connectingarir16, the vertical arms being iv- ,otedn brackets 16a secured in the body so f that the frame can be rocked in a fore'and'aft direction relative to the craft. Connected to thearms 15 at opposite sides of their mountwhich are such that the cables 17 and-1 8 will lead to the elevator E for connection respec-` tively to the upper and lower horns 22 and 23 ofthe elevator, while the cables 19 and 20 will lead to the elevator E for connection respectively to the upper and lower horns 24 and 25 of the latter elevator. Other cables 26, 27, 28, and 29 are connected at one o'f their ends to the cables 17, 18, 19, and 20`respectively, as indicated respectively at 26a, 27 a, 28, and 29a in Fig. 6 and are trained over suitable guide pulleys 30, the arrangement and loca tion o which is such that the cables 26 and 27 will lead to the elevator E2 for connection respectively to the upper and lower horns 31 and 32 of the latter, while the cables 28 and 29 will lead to the elevatorE3 for connection respectively to the upper and lower horns 33 and 34 of the latter. With the various cables connected to the lframe 14 and to the various elevators as above described, it will be clear that all the elevators will be simultaneously actuated and will be rocked downwardly or upwardly according as the frame is rocked forwardly or rearwardly, to accordingly cause the aircraft to lose or gain altitude when in flight as a result of the reaction of the air against the surfaces of the elevators. y

. J ournaled in bearings 35 on the horizonta arm 16 of frame 14 is a stub shaft 36 having fixed thereto a handwheel 37 and a sprocket wheel 38 while telescopically receiving the shaft, and rotatablymounted" thereon is a sleeve 39 having xed thereto a sprocket connected to one end of the chain is a flexible cable' 44 trained over pulleys 45 so arranged and located that the cable will lead to the lower horn 46 of aileron S. To the other end of the chain y42 is connected a second, flexible cable 47 trained lover pulleys 48 and leading to the aileron S Ifor connection to the lower horn 49 of the latter, while a third cable 50, trained over pulleys 51, connects the u per horn 52 of the aileron S and the upper fiorn 53 of the aileron S.

Other cables 54, 55, and 56 are provided, the cables 54 and 55 being trained over pulleysv58 and connected respectively at one of their 'ends to the cables 44 and 47 as indicated at 54l and 55a respectively, and at the otherv of their ends respectively to the lower horns 59 and 60 of the ailerons S2 and S3 respectively, while the cable 56 is trained over.

S3 respectively. The ailerons S and S2 will be thus caused to be elevated and the ailerons S and Ss depressed or vice versa according as the handwheel 37 is rotated in a clockwise or vcounter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, to accordingly bank the aircraft to the right or left.

Constantly meshing with the sprocket wheel 40 is a length of chain 64 trained on idler pulleys 65 mounted on the frame 14, and to one end of the chain is connected a flexible cable 66 trained over idler pulleys 67 and connected to a rearwardly projecting horn 68 fixed tothe axis of the -rudder R, while to the other end of the chain is connected a flexible cable 69 trained over idler pulleys 70 and connected to a rearwardly projecting horn 71 fixed to theaxis of the rudderVR. A third flexible cable 72 connects forwardly projecting horns 73 and 74 i' fixed respectively to the axes ofthe rudders Rand R. Othercables 75, 76, and 77 are provided,`the cables 75 and 76 being trained over pulleys 78 and connected respectively at one of their ends to the cables 66 and 69 at the points indicated at 75a and 762 and at A ated in response to rotation of the hand-wheel 41 to steer the aircraft to the right or left according as the handwheel is rotated in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 4.

For propellin the aircraft through the air a plurality o power plants having direct i connected propellers 'are preferably provided, and in the present instance three are illustrated and designated at P, P', and P?. The power plants are all mounted on the aircraft for such adjustment that the direction of thrust of their respective propellers when in operation can be varied to propel the aircraft either forwardly through the air;

87 in the body B and projecting rearwardlythrough the instrument board 88 into the cockplt 89 in advance of the operators seat, an internal segmental gear 90 being fixed to the shaft 86 and constantly meshing with a pinion 91 fixed to a shaft 92 journaled in brackets 93 in the body. Also to the shaft 92 is a sprocket wheel 94 over which is a chain 95, the chain being also trained over a second sprocket wheel 96 fixed to a shaft 97 journaled in brackets 98 su ported in the body B to the rear ofthe yo e 83. Fixed to the shaft 97 at opposite sides of the sprocket wheel 96 are a pair of sprocket wheels 99 while a second pair of sprocketwheels 100 are lixed to the trunnions 84 and connected to the sprocket wheels 99 by chains 101. It will thus be clear thatrocking movement ofthe lever 85 will cause rocking of the power plant P to vary the direction of thrust of its propeller. The power plant P is capable of being secured in any selectedv position of'adjustment by means of a latching pawl 102 carried by the lever 85 and normally urgedby a spring 103 into engagement with an arcuate rack 104 secured to the instrument board 88, an arm 105 being connected to the pawl for releasing the latter when the position of the power plant P is to be changed.

The power plant P and P2 are preferably mounted at opposite sides of the bodyB in the spaces between the aerofoils A and A', and as the means for mounting and actuating one of these power plants to vary the direction of thrust of its propeller is identicall to that for the other power plant except for the fact that one is right .hand and the other left hand, a-description of one means will sutlice for both, and to distinguish the numerals deslgnating the parts of one means from those of the other, the numerals for the parts of one means are provided with exponents.

he power plant P is mounted in a yoke 106 supported by a frame 107 from the body B, and the power plant is provided with trunnions 108 Journaled in the yoke so that the power plant can be adjusted in the saine manner as above described in connection with the-power plant P. Fixed to one of the.

trunnions 108 is a sprocket wheel 109, over which is trained an endless chain 110 also trained over a second sprocket wheel 111 fixed to a shaft 112 journaled in the frame 107 and in a bracket 113 within the bod B.

To the inner end of the shaft 112 is xed a bevel gear 113 constantly meshing with a second bevel gear 114 fixed on one end of a shaft 115 extending forwardly of and at right angles to the shaft 112.I To the forward end of the shaft 115 is fixed a bevel gear 116 constantly meshing with a second bevel gear 117 fixed to one end of a shaft 118 mounted in brackets 119 supported in the body B imme- 88. To the other end of the shaft 118 is fixed a pinion 120 with. which constantly meshes asegmental internal gear 121 fixed to a shaft ,122 journaled in brackets 113.

Also fixed to the shaft 118 and projecting rearwardly through the instrument board'88 is an operating lever 123, and it will be clear that through the gear trainy and chain and sprocket mechanism just described, rocking movement of the lever will effect rocking movement of the power plant P to vary the direction of thrust of its propeller. To secure the power plant P in any selected adjusted position, a latching pawl 124 is'carried by the lever 123 and is normally urged by a spring 125 into engagement with an` arcuate rack 126 secured to the instrument board at one side of the operating lever for the power plant P. The pawl 124 is adapted to be disenga ed from the rack 126 to permit adjustment 0% the power plant P by means of an arm 127 carried by the lever 123V and connected to the pawl. y

It will be manifest that by the provision of sol 'diately in advance of the instrument board the foregoing mountings and actuating and locking mechanisms for the power plants P, P', andP, the power plants can be adjusted to vary the directions of thrust of their respective propellers independently of each other and locked in a selected position of adjustment, so that the propellers of the respective power plants can be positioned to propel the aircraft either forwardly, forwardly and upwardly or vertically upward, to the end that in combination with the arrangement of lifting andflying control surfaces previously described an inherently stable and easily maneuverable aircraft will be provided, which is capable of functioning' as a glider in the event that operation of the power plants is discontinued, as well as being capable of relatively high fof-ward speeds and of cruising slowly over an area and taking olf from and landing in a restricted space.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of aircraft embodying my invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of i the invention and spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In an aircraft, a power plant having a propeller, a .yoke secured to the aircraft,

trunnions carried by the power plant and.

mounted in the yoke to support the power plant for pivotal movement to vary the direction of thrust exerted by the propeller when in operation, means for moving the power plant and means 'for securing the power plant. in a selected position of adjustment, said means `for moving the power plant comprising a pinion rotatably mounted on. a-ixed axis, means for operatively connecting the pinion to at least one of the trunnions to rotate the latter in response to rotation of the pinion, and a Jsegmental internal gear constantly meshing with the pinion.

2. In an aircraft, a power plant having a propeller, a yoke secured to the aircraft, trunnions carried by tlie 'power plant and lmounted in the yoke to support the power plant for pivotal movement to vary the direction of thrust exerted by the propeller when in operation, vmeans for moving the power plant, and. `means "for securing thepower plantl in a selected position of adjustment,

said meansfor moving the power plant-comprising a-.pinion rotatably mounted on a xed aXis,';means for operatively connecting the pinion'to at least one of the trunnions to rotate the latterinresponse to rotation of the pinion, anda segmental internal gear constantly meshing with the pinion, and said means for securing the power plant in a selected position of adjustment comprising a hand lever secured to the segmental gear for actuating the latter,'a stationary keeper, and

a latch on the lever engageable with the kkeeper to latch the segmental gearV against .movement CHARLES4 vv. LAPIN. 

